Methadone-Drug-Facts
Methadone-Drug-Facts Also known as: Methadone Hydrochloride, Physeptone, meth, Linctus, juice, amps
Liquid mixture, most frequently green, but also blue, orange, yellow
or clear; Tablets; Ampoules for injection.
The issue of “quality?and “purity?is something of a vexed question when
it comes to methadone.
Dispensed methadone will have a number of additives in it, potentially including diluents,
sweeteners, preservatives and colorants. Critics argue that some of these may be
harmful ?for example that sweeteners contribute to tooth damage,
Methadone comes in a variety of strengths. Methadone Mixture is most frequently
mixed at 1mg/ml (i.e. 1mg methadone hydrochloride in 1ml of liquid).
Tablets: range of strengths, commonly 5mg or 10mg tablets.
Ampoules: Ampoules are usually mixed at strength of 10mg/ml. They come in a range of
sizes and concentrations; some of the sizes are:
1ml (10mg), 2ml (20mg), 3.5ml (35mg) 5ml (50 mg)
Also available are concentrated ampoules, containing 50mg/ml.
Other strengths and formulations are available.
The active drug ?methadone hydrochloride ?is available in racemic form (where both
the active levo-methadone molecules and the less active (or inactive) dextro-methadone
molecules are also present.
In a small number of countries (e.g. Germany) levo-methadone has been prescribed,
where the inactive d-methadone has been removed, leaving only the active l-methadone
isomer.
Some commentators have argued that some people have difficulty metabolizing out the
d-methadone, and this causes some unpleasant side-effects in users. They argue
therefore that the more-expensive l-methadone should be made more widely available.
However, a small number of trials have suggested that people transferred to and
between different forms of methadone do not experience different withdrawal
symptoms, once the relative strengths of the different compounds have been taken in to
consideration.
Methadone is a slightly less powerful painkiller than heroin, though it offers
a similar, though less intense, absence of pain combined with moderately euphoric
qualities. The combined effects are a sense of well being, feeling warm, and content,
drowsy and untroubled. At higher doses, the user may become heavily sedated, be
sleepy, unable to talk, and appear to fall asleep for a few minutes at a time.
Users often experience nausea or vomiting on the first occasions that they use
methadone, or when returning to use after a period of abstinence. Side effects include
suppression of the cough reflex, more shallow breathing and a slowing of the pulse rate.
Some users experience intense, allergy-like itchiness. Other unwanted effects can
include flushing of the skin, profuse sweating, reduction in libido, constipation, and
confused thinking.
Methadone is physically addictive. After a period of
regular use, there is an unpleasant period of withdrawal (often called "cold turkey,") as
the drug is cleared from the body and the body adjusts to functioning without the
presence of methadone.
While unpleasant, sometimes lasting for two or three weeks, it is not a life threatening
process. Far more difficult is to resist the psychological temptation to use during this
period, in the knowledge that it would instantly alleviate the symptoms of withdrawal.
Methadone remains in the body for longer than heroin, and many users assert that it is
harder to withdraw from methadone than heroin. Regular use of methadone leads to an
increase of tolerance to the drug. Initially, this means that one needs to take increasingly
large amounts to achieve the same sense of euphoria and well being. Subsequently, it
means that users find they need to use increasingly large quantities to prevent going into
withdrawal, or just to feel "normal." Tolerance takes longer to develop than with heroin.
KFx ?Drug Facts 2008 34
The flip-side of this is that, when methadone use is reduced (as with a reduction
programme) or discontinued (for example after a spell in prison), tolerance drops. A
user whose tolerance has dropped, who attempts to use the amount they were using
when their tolerance was higher, stands a good chance of overdosing.
Overdoses where methadone is involved are not uncommon. Sometimes this involves
methadone alone, but more often than not, it involves methadone in conjunction with
other opiates (especially heroin) or methadone in conjunction with other depressant
drugs such as alcohol or benzodiazepines.
When used as prescribed, methadone presents a low risk of overdose. However, when
used by an opiate na?e individual, as little as 30-40ml could be fatal. Additional risks
come where people use multiple doses of methadone at once, or use heroin on top of
their prescribed methadone.
Methadone, like heroin, does cause severe constipation amongst regular users. In
addition, it acts to suppress the cough-reflex, leaving users at risk of chest and bronchial
problems.
Methadone can cause tooth damage, weight gain, perspiration and reduced libido,
making it unpopular with many users.
Further health problems relating to methadone use stem from injecting. The injection of
undiluted concentrated methadone ampoules has been linked to vein damage, tissue
damage, ulceration and other problems.
Methadone hydrochloride is an opioid (a completely synthetic molecule), as opposed to an opiate, which is the name given to drugs which derive directly or indirectly from the opium poppy, such as morphine and heroin. It was originally synthesised by the German pharmaceutical company Axis during the second world war. It was first marketed as 'Dolophine' (to honour Adolph Hitler) and was used as an analgesic for the treatment of severe pain. It is still occasionally used for pain relief, although it is more widely used now as a substitute drug for people addicted to opiates (primarily heroin).
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